By Aiden Lupian, Margo Moore, Piper Figallo, Brienna Burr, and Malayna Nieto
In an extraordinary display of talent and creativity, Redwood High School’s film students made an indelible mark at the Slick Rock Film Festival this year. The thirteen Redwood Ranger Video Teams dominated the competition, securing a record-breaking seven awards, including the coveted Best of Show.
Hosted annually, the Slick Rock Film Festival invites middle and high school students from Merced to Kern County to showcase their artistic flair in film production across 13 categories. This year, the festival drew over 400 submissions, underscoring the thriving film culture among the region’s youth.
Marking a historic moment, Redwood High School’s film titled ‘Maestro’ not only won in the Blockbuster category but also took home the Best of Show award – a first for the school. The film was a collaborative effort of Ian Cook, Tyler Patterson, and William Youngquist. Ian Cook, ’23, says his goals were solidified by the win, “it shows that my work can have an impact, and people can appreciate whatever I made,” he says.
William Youngquist, ’23, participated in the making of multiple films. Youngquist says “Part of collaborating with people is to know to listen to them, but also doing their work and basically catering to what their vision is and basically making your client happy.”
Youngquist also adds that “it’s really important, as a cinematographer to try to capture your director’s vision.”
When asked about the creative process behind ‘Maestro’, Tyler Patterson, ’23, says, ” It was one of the fastest films we’ve ever made, we made it in like 2 weeks. We just sat down and just wrote out the shots, grabbed a couple cameras, found a spot, and just filmed it.”
In the Sports Highlights category, the film ‘Cowhide 67’, crafted by Nikko Gutierrez, Jacob Perch, and Grace Hyatt, emerged victorious, while ‘Eat Healthy, Be Healthy’ won the Nutrition and Physical Activity PSA category.
Students from all levels of film classes at Redwood High School, including introductory, advanced digital film, and Ranger TV classes, contributed to the school’s triumphant success.
Among other winners from Redwood were ‘Commuovere’ in the Music Video category, ‘Ranger TV Tyler Stark Story’, and ‘Be Safe Be Responsible’, which focused on the negative impact of social media on mental health. Each of these submissions demonstrated the students’ ability to convey powerful messages through their cinematic storytelling.
Hannah Johnson, ’25, who had a part in making the video “Be Safe Be Responsible”, says the advice she would give to other students as a young, successful filmmaker would be to “form a team with people who you can trust, work hard, and don’t give up even when it gets hard.”
Redwood High School also had a strong showing among the top five finalists in several categories. ‘Friday Night Lab’, a documentary by Apil Redden, and multiple entries for the General Advertisement and General PSA categories demonstrated the depth of talent at the school.
Despite not winning, the videos ‘Ranger TV, Gabbi Mota story’ and ‘My Teenage Dream’ also received praise for their excellence.
Bill Henshaw, Digital Media Arts instructor at Redwood High School, expressed his pride in his students, saying, “This year’s results are a testament to our students’ hard work, creativity, and passion for digital media. We couldn’t be prouder of their accomplishments.”
The Thirteen Redwood Ranger Video Teams’ triumph is a testament to the incredible talent, resilience, and dedication present in these young filmmakers, propelling Redwood High School to new heights in the world of student film-making.
Micah Stipech, ’23, says, “We had about 2 weeks to make a creative film and throw something together. We were going for something more mysterious or with a dark undertone.” Stipech adds, “Winning slick rock is a great start for other competitions and being prepared for whats to come next.”
The winning films and top finalists are available for viewing here.
Blockbuster – Maestro
Winner and Best of Show, Produced by Ian Cook, Tyler Patterson, William Youngquist
Sports Highlights– Cowhide 67
Winner, produced by Nikko Gutierrez, Jacob Perch, and Grace Hyatt
Nutrition and Physical Activity PSA – Eat Healthy, Be Healthy
Winner- produced by Ian Cook, Micah Stipech, William Youngquist, and Hannah Johnson
Documentary – Friday Night Lab
Top 5 finalist- April Redden
General Advertisement – Doc’s Grill, Lashe’s at the Lakes, and Taylor’s Hot Dog
Top 5 finalist- Darius Coley, Ashtyn Cripps, Hannah Johnson and Brooklyn Amstutz
General Public Service Announcement (PSA) – Family Services PSA and Vaping PSA Top 5 Finalist – Nikko Gutierrez, William Youngquist, and Micah Stipech
Music Video – Commuovere
Winner- Eli Bradshaw, Juliette Prosser, Beatrice Sanjaya, and Jordan Nguyen
Winner- Nikko Gutierrez, Malayna Neito, Daniella Zapien, and Tyler Stark
Social Media’s Negative Impact on Mental Health – Be Safe Be Responsible
Winner- Hannah Johnson, Tanner Hoffman, Elijah Backlund, Torren Mancour, Easton Rogers, Brooklyn Amstutz
Suicide Prevention PSA – Help a Friend Suicide Prevention PSA
Top 5 Finalist- Jacob Shin, Jacob Perch, William Youngquist, Will Kennedy, Jayden Licon
Notable videos that were excellent but didn’t place
Ranger TV Stories –Gabbi Mota story and My Teenage Dream
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Imagine spending your days talking about ideas that you love with people you genuinely care about. Not bad, that. I advise some journalists and teach some literature at Redwood High School in Visalia, Ca.
Tags: arts, arts & entertainment, arts and entertainment, Slick Rock, slickrock, video